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great value for money, comfortable and hard wearing DEFINATLY RECOMMEND

I have always been fussy with what I wear on my feet, I like to be comfortable and a bit stylish very at the very least. When my son started school and the first week of school runs ruined my trainers I decided I needed something hard wearing and comfortable. I visited all the shoe shops in town and as a last ditch attempt wandered into sports direct where I found the karrimor arête walking boots. the ankles are padded and make them very comfortable to wear and walk in. In the past I have found ankle boots rub and blister my ankles but with these I have had no problems. The eyelet fastening also helps give you the option of how tight you want them fastening. The mesh panels provide breathability, yet the suede makes it waterproof, its a strange idea to get your head around, mesh that is waterproof, but it sounded good. I have worn these in snow and pouring rain and they really do keep your feet dry, as long as you occasionally spray with waterproof spray. There is a bumper toe panel, which has come in very handy. I'm a bit clumsy and find myself bumping my toes a lot which usually ruins my shoes. this has helped to prolong the life of the life of the boots. The sole is also very hard wearing. considering I walk 2.5 miles in one school run, walk the dog over the moors and even wore them around town, I got a year out of them before the sole finally got a hole in it. I consider that to be very good going. The RRP of these boots is £59.99 which for a years wear is good value in my eyes. I however got them from sports direct which currently has them on sale for £20 which is fantastic value. Even better was the fact I got them in the SALE for £10!! WOOOWZER or what!! After them lasting a year I didn't hesitate to rush back and buy another pair. This time I've been wearing for 6 months and still plenty of wear left in them. They have really kept me dry through the snow of winter 2012/2013. I would recommend them to anyone who needs something comfortable to wear on a school run, or walking the dog, or even just walking anywhere really. I am on my 2nd pair and will carry on buying them as long as they are made.

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A good qulaity pair of walking boots

The bonus fabulous weather we had back in February/March inspired me to finally buy a new pair of walking boots and get out and about again. My previous ankle walking boots had died some years before and I had been using some sturdy trainer type shoes as my walking shoes, but they were coming to the end of their life. I decided I wanted the extra support from ankle covering walking boots and had a look online. I ended up purchasing these Karrimor Arete 2 walking boots from Amazon for the very good price of £26 (RRP £59.99). They were despatched promptly by Field and Trek and I got a free mug which I have never used. Naturally the good weather disappeared once I'd ordered the boots (sorry everyone).

The boots come in two colours: black/pink and pewter/blue and I picked the latter which is basically a grey boot with some subtle pale blue trim. They are made of soft suede and mesh with metal eyelets for lacing. They don't look to heavy, clumpy or masculine.

Although I am normally a size 3, I bought a size 4 to allow for swollen feet and extra socks. The boots fitted fine but did feel odd around my ankle, as I had not worn ankle style walking boots for a while and I was initially concerned the padded part around the ankle was too stiff. I gave them a test run around the local streets for about three miles (5km) one weekend and was pleased to discover that they were comfortable for me, and I soon got used to the weight and the ankle area was supportive and not restrictive.

Since then I have taken them for country walks and got mud on them (which I was quite glad about, you can't have walking boots looking too pristine!) and found my footing to be secure and my feet kept warm without over-heating. So far my feet have kept dry but that is mainly through walking on wet paths/roads, I have not waded through a stream or anything, and that would probably be a big ask. I have taken them through quite a bit of mud and trying to get mud out the grooves in the bottom of the boots is quite hard, particularly after it had dried, but a suede brush got all the dried mud off of that part. Because if the suede part you can't wash these boots and they don't come with any cleaning advice. They have been comfortable and have not rubbed my feet in any places. They are quite a bit heavier than my old trainers, but that is just something I needed to get used to.

I have to say I am very pleased with my purchase, especially if you take the price into consideration. Even without the large saving that I had, I think these boots still represent good value, as they are of a high quality and seemingly durable. I expect to get many years use out of these.